Packer&#39;s mitt



March 2 1926. v 1,574,927

J. H. OTTO PACKER S MITT Filed July 14, 1925 Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES JULIUS H. OTTO, OF MACON, GEORGIA.

PAeKEns MITTV Application filed July 1%, 1925. Serial No. 43,651.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. JULrUs H. O'r'ro, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Macon, Bibb County, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packers Mitts, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to implements adapted to be used by packers and particularly to such implements designed to aid in the manual packing of fruit, vegetables or miscellaneous small articles in shipping containers.

The invention, while it has many uses, is particularly adapted to assist in packing peaches in containers, such as bushel baskets. Heretoiore peaches have been largely shipped to the market in crates containing smaller baskets but the rising cost oi such shipping crates has necessitated the adoption of containers of cheaper character.

For instance, peaches are now to a large extent, shipped in bushel baskets, the use of the relatively expensive crates being thereby avoided and also the use of the smaller boxes or containers withinv the crates. Inasmuch as it is desired to have the uppermost layer this result has been brought about without necessitating the careful arrangement of the peaches underlying the top layer. Briefly stated this method is as follows: A circular plate having depressions therein, for instance, concentric circular grooves, is laid on a floor or platform and the depressions or grooves are filled with peaches, the depressions or grooves being so disposed that the peaches when in position lie exactly as they are intended to lie in the top lay er oi" the fruit basket when it is ready for shipment. Upon this plate, after the layer of peaches is in place, is positioned a paper or cardboard trustro-conical container, both ends of this container being open, the small end being uppermost, and the axis of the container being coincident with the axis of the circular plate. Into this-container, which corresponds in shape and volume very closely to a bushel basket, are poured the bulk of the peaches which are intended to lie beneath the upper layer of the filled basket. A bushel basket is then inverted over the paper container, the circular rim of the basket resting upon the plate. All that remains to be done is to then invert the hasket and plate, holding them together, of course, to prevent spilling of the peaches. Upon removal of the plate, which after inversion of the basket will be uppermost, the basket will be seen to be filled and the upper layer of peaches will be seen to be arranged in the exact manner in which they were grouped together upon the plate before the inversion was effected.

My present invention relates to means for effecting the inversion of the basket and plate quickly and easily and without danger of their becoming separated during the lifting and inverting movement, the implement not only preventing displacement of the plate relatively to the basket in such manner that the arrangement of peaches is destroyed or peaches actually spilled out, but also enables an operator utilizing the same to accomplish the inversion of the hasket and plate much more easily and much more quickly than would otherwise be possible.

Various forms of implements embodying the invention'may be devised, and it will be understood that that form which I describe and illustrate is set forth by way of ex-. ampleonly. f

In the drawings: V

. Fig. 1 illustrates in side elevation a peach basket resting upon the plate upon which. the upper layer of peaches is first arranged, and ready for inversion, the basket being partly broken away; V

Fig. 2 illustratesthe implement in the hands of the user and so positioned relatively to the peach basket and plate that the packer may readily invert the same;

Fig. 3 is a view of'the implement showing in dotted lines the positionoi? the hands of the user; and v v Fig. l-is an enlarged perspective view of one portion of the implement.'

The plate upon which a layer of peaches is symmetrically arranged is indicated at 10. This plate is of a character well known in the peach packing industry and is therefore not illustrated or described in detail. It may be said however that it is preferably formed of metal and that the grooves or depressions 11 in which the peaches are placed are concentric circular grooves. The peach basket is indicated at 12 and the frustro-conical open ended cardboard container at 13. The container 13 hasits lower edge resting upon the plate and, prior to the positioning ot the bushel basl'cet l tl ereb er,

vconstruction of members lad-snot ceii the peaches are poured into the contaiiier 1 through its open upper end. Preferably a' frustro-conical metallic reinforcing is placed around the paper container 13 while the peaches are being poured i i-Ito the same, for the puipQsn Oflfirmly supporting the containeragainst the pressure of the peaches. The member however not illustrated, its elxact construction being immaterial to tl1e invention. The annular lower edges or both basket andpaper cohtaine r rest upon the iofthe plate l and the plate also has a projecting flange 14 by means of which it niay be gi asped. M After containeii13 is filled and the basket in position, as shown in Figure 1, it only remains to eltect the necessary intermen -r the basket and to then cover the same with a suitable lid or other co er. It is in efi'ecting this inversion that difficulty has been, experienced, due tothe fact that the rim of the basket and nlepiate'tesa to move relatively and sometimes; becomes, separatedv by the weight and action of the peaches inthe basket so that some ot'th fruit will make its escape or at al events, will become disp i M 1 ,J ,i

To aid the'pa'elter whose duty it is to make the inversion, I haveprovided a special iifnplement, which is shown in detail in Figure 3. This implement comprises; essentially two glove-like member 15, pfeiegabiy of exactly similar constriiction, which iiiemb is are cc nectd by apfieziible element 1 6, in this instance a leather strap. The

0 ling. The gloverlike, membe illustrated are quite satisfactory, biit theother hand, the desig irof these members may be greatl varied without departing from ,tl'fe's the invention. As shown the, members 15 are formed offiat sole, leather pieces 15 which extendfroni the wrist of the ve'arer to and beyond the finger tips. 'Ba1id's have their ends secured to the; as: poison 15, these bands fo'rmi1'1g 1oops through which the operations hand'seztend and constitute means for securing the l 'love-like members to the operato1"s hands. Each niem ber 17 is provided with an opening 18 through which the thumbs of the pat *'r' may extend.

The fiat members 15 are flexible so that the paclierni'a'y bend them around the rim of theplate 10, as shown in' Figure 2. The flexible element 16, which may be a leather strap, connect-sf the wrist portions of theglove-like iii embers and, in the present insta1ice, they are shown to' be secured to these members means of iron l9 although 'a'gny suitableconn'ecting devic'e'inay be substituted for suchrings. The strap is made adjustable by means of a buckle 20 in order that its length may be adjusted to suit baskets or crates of different si-zesaiid also to compensate for any stretchingofthe flexible connecting element.

as ibefdr pointed out, it is not essential to my invention that the hand members 15 be of any particular material or shape, or that the flexible member 16 be of any partic ular material. The members 15 must be so desig'iied not to hinder the operator when he graspsthe edges of the plate 10 and the flexible men'iber 16 must be of such character that it will conform readily to the shape of the basket Its l ength of course should be such that wh n the packer grasps the edge of the I'ilate It), it will be tightly stretched ,cross the bottoi'n of the basket, as shown in Figure 2, so that whe'n the' packer eiifects the inversion, it will hold the basket tightly against, the plate. as the inversion has been 'ac'omplishetl of'eou'rse', the plate and the implement just described, are removed andthe basket suitably covered. By me ns of the described implement, the inversion may be accomplished quickly and easily and without danger of relative displacement of the plate and bas'liet. It constitutes a means therefore whereby the peaches are saved from injuryj'and also the production of individual packers greatly increased.

} Havingthus'deseribed the invention what is claimed asnew and'desired to be secured Letters Patent is;

A ackers iinplei'nent comprising two adapteato be secnred'to or carried by'thef handset the, operator, and a connecting elei'rient, for the purpose set forth.

2(A packers implement comprising two members ad pted to be secured to or carried by the hands of the o e'rator, and a flexible connecting element for the purpose so; forth, l

In a pat-hens in'iplement, in combination, two members adapted to be t mod to orcarri'ed by the hands of the operator and a connecting element comprising an adjustable flexiblestrap, for the purpose set forth. I I p I 4-. A packe'rs implement comprising two glove-like member: having ack-age engaging portions and wrist portions, and a fleaible element connecting said portions, tor the purpose set forth. I

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JULIUS H. orro. 

